Egyptian Molokheya – The Soup of Jute

I bet most of you never heard of jute before. It was news to me too! For the longest time, I thought Molokheya, as we call it in Egyptian, didn’t exist outside Egypt. Wrong! It’s served in other middle eastern countries such as Lebanon where, instead of a soup, it’s a stir fry of  the same ingredients. Recently, I found fresh Molokheya in our local farmers market and there, they called it “okra leaves” but don’t take that literally, jute isn’t really the leave of an okra plant. The only thing that’s common between the two is that, depending on how they’re prepared, sometimes they have a slimy consistency.

This mean green soup is rich in flavor from the addition of garlic and coriander. Not long ago, and in many homes of rural Egypt today, the jute plants were bought fresh. Leaves were removed one at a time, put together on a huge cutting board then, and using a mezzaluna, they were finally chopped. As you can imagine, this is a long process. Today, inside and outside Egypt, everyone buys the Molokheya frozen and the taste is just as good.

TOP 10 FOODS IN EGYPT

The Egyptian cuisine is not very fancy; it is not as elaborate as French or Italian cuisine and not as heavy as some of the food in the Arabian Gulf, it also doesn’t rely on a massive amount of spices. It is very simple, and this simplicity is what makes it very tasty.

A lot of the food on the menu relies heavily on vegetables and legumes rather than meats, same as it has been for millennia, mainly because veggies are much cheaper than meat. However, you will find that a lot of items on the list below are very much of the meat variety, after all, a balanced diet of meat and vegetables does wonders for the body.

This list is not exhaustive, it might even be missing a thing or two, but it has the ones that are most easily accessible to everyone, whether they were tourists or residents.

Like the drinks and the desserts, the foods chosen can be found all over Egypt north to south, how heavy or different they are depends largely on which region you are in the country. Each region adds its own unique flavour or twist to the recipe.

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Bon Appetite. :)))

1. Ful wa Ta’meya (Fava Beans and Falafel):

Ful mudammas and Ta’meya are the original Egyptian fast food; they are a staple of the Egyptian diet. The ful (pronounced: fool) is made of fava beans that are simmered all night in a massive round cauldron-looking pot called Qedra. The ta’meya, or Egyptian falafel is made out of crushed fava beans that is later mixed and made into a paste then fried, unlike Lebanese falafel that is made out of hummus. Perfect for vegetarians.

................................................................Left: Ful by Noema Pérez, Flickr. Right: Ta'meya - Falafel - by ~W~, Flickr.

2  -  koshary

Rice, black lentils, spaghetti, round little pasta rings, whole hummus, caramelized onions, and thick tomato sauce. Now toss all the previous ingredients together in one big bowl, add some hot sauce and vinaigrette. Eat. That is pretty much what is in a kushari. Sounds mental but it’s delish!

koshary

3. Kabab wa kofta (Grilled meats):

Succulant grilled meat cubes and seekh kebab, typically made out of veal or lamb, they are usually served with bread (baladi) and an assortment of green salads and dips, mostly tahini, baba ghanoush, and tzatziki. They are grilled over charcoal and they are a must for any meat lover visiting Egypt.

Kofta and Kabab, by alanosaur, Flickr.

4. Sugoq wa Kibdah Iskandarani (Alexandrian Sausages and Liver):

Another treat for meat eaters, especially if they like their meat spicy; the sausages are cooked and left to simmer almost without end in a pan of very spicy chili tomato sauce, and the liver is cooked in its own spicy juices, served with Torshi. Should be immediately followed by a sandwich of halawa bel qeshta (sweet sesame paste with double cream) to balance the heat.

Three Sausages sandwiches: Alexandrian, Eastern, and Turkish, surved with Torshi (pickles).

5. Hawawshi (Egyptian meat pie):

Spiced ground beef cooked in a whole loaf of baladi bread, either in a rotisserie oven or baked in a regular oven.

Hawawshi and styrofoam.

6. Shawerma:

While shawerma is not originally a native Egyptian dish, it became so due to Egypt being part of the Ottoman Empire. That said, the best shawerma in Egypt will traditionally be available at Syrian owned sandwich parlours.

Shawerma, by Pius Lee, Daily Travel photos. www.dailytravelphotos.com

7. Fattah:

If you are familiar with Biryani, then this should be easy. It is the same concept: bread, meat, and rice layered one on top of the other with a vinegar and tomato sauce. The bread is, again, baladi bread, and the meat used is mostly beef, veal, or lamb.

Fattah by Enas Al Jamal, Flickr.

8. Sayadeya:

A seafood dish made with white fish, traditionally bass, bluefish, or mullet, cooked with rice and an onion/tomato sauce then baked in a tagine or similar earthenware. If going to Alexandria, Port Said, orSuez and you are a seafood lover then this is the dish for you.

Sayadeya by hashimture, Flickr.

9. Besarah:

Besarah has been known since Pharaonic times and the ancient Egyptians, this vegetarian dish is a celebration of herbs and spices. Made with parsley, dill, leek, crushed fava beans, onions, green bell pepper or hot chilli pepper, fresh green coriander, and spices (dry coriander, dry mulukhiyah, cumin, salt and pepper). When cooked it turns into a green, creamy paste-like dip. Best eaten with baladi bread.

Besarah with caramelized onions.

10. Baladi Bread:

Baladi bread is probably the one food item that Egyptians cannot do without, as a matter of fact, in the 70s the government moved to stop subsidizing the bread and the result were riots that spanned the country and Cairo almost got burned to the ground. The government reinstated the subsidy almost immediately. The bread is flat bread made of whole wheat and bran and traditionally baked in a wood burning oven, now in a gas burning oven. When fresh out of the oven, it is so tasty that it can be eaten whole on its own, and with other foods, it gives them a whole new dimension.

The indispensable Baladi bread.

Famous food in Egypt " Koshary "

Egyptian koshary food on CNN !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LGR_bHcMqo

Imagine, mixing into a single dish, pasta, rice, lentil, chick peas, onions and garlic and adding to this chili sauce. The idea sounds horrific, until one tries out an Egyptian favorite called Koshary.

I had always heard about Koshary, and its importance to Egyptians. You can see it in movies and you would hear Egyptians in Saudi Arabia describe it as the most delicious traditional dish, so I was keen to try it the moment I came to Egypt. Now Im an addict, said Wael Fawaz, a Syrian medical student at Misr (Cairo) University for Science and Technology. You cant visit Egypt and not eat Koshary, youll miss a lot, he added.

Koshary is a traditional Egyptian meal that consists of a strange combination of macaroni, spaghetti, rice, black lentils, chick peas, garlic sauce and a spicy tomato chili sauce, all topped with fried onions. It is sold from carts by street vendors, in restaurants or even made at home and each is considered a different taste experience.

The Koshary man stands in front of the large containers that hold each of the dish's ingredient. Usually, there is a line of people waiting to be served. Once you place your order, you stand in a row waiting to give the Koshary man your receipt that states the price of your dish. At the moment you give him the receipt the Koshary man grabs a bowl, and scoops a little of each ingredient into the bowl and sends it to your table. Each Koshary dish takes about five seconds to prepare (of course, after the ingredients are cooked).

His speed can be surprising to you. I have worked here since we opened 10 years ago, and before that I sold Koshary on a street cart, so I have to be fast. My hands are accustomed to the same movements I do all day everyday, so you can say that I memorized the movements rather than think about them, said Aziz Awad, a Koshary man in one of the restaurants downtown.

As the Koshary man scoops, he knocks his metal spoon against the sides of the bowls, making the Koshary symphony that you wont hear elsewhere. When the Koshary man prepares anorder of more than four the restaurant fills with sound as if it was a rehearsal for a concert. The restaurants of Koshary are very noisy. One sits to eat while the Koshary man practices his drums in your ears. It's weird but I guess its a part of the Egyptian identity which you get used to in time, said Fawaz.

At the table, all the dishes are aluminum except the two glass bottles that contain two different kinds of sauce, one made from vinegar and oil, the other from spicy red pepper. The chili is a whole new dimension for the meal. You can eat Koshary and it would taste good, but for it to be this delicious you have to use chili. That creates all the taste, said Waleed Abdullah, an office boy.

Koshary is considered a meal that is inexpensive yet fills up the stomach of an average Egyptian. Koshary is something I love; I can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its eaten anytime, anywhere. I can eat it standing, sitting, at work or at home, said Abdullah. Its a meal that is both affordable and delicious.